Articles

Kopecký won Spectators’ Super Special Stage

26. 8. 2017 - Roman Ordelt

Škoda Motorsport crew Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler on Škoda Fabia R5 lived up to expectations and won the very first stage of the 47th Barum Czech Rally Zlín. Second came Václav Pech, Petr Uhel (Ford Fiesta R5) to the delight of Czech fans losing 4.1 seconds and third one was Alexey Lukyanuk, Alexey Arnautov, Russia, on Ford Fiesta R5, who were behind Kopecký by 4.6 seconds.

The five-time winner of Barum rally is clearly on his way to win it for the sixth time because he was unmatched in the night streets of Zlín during 9.51 long circuit stage. Crews placing between second and fourth place were just one second apart. Time difference between the Czech drivers Pech and Tomáš Kostka is only 0.9 seconds. The fifth came the defending ERC champion and current ERC leader Kajetan Kajetanowicz from Poland and behind him was the doyen of Czech rally Roman Kresta who came back after three years of absence. Czech drivers Pavel Valoušek and Jan Černý managed to get themselves to top ten. Polish Grzegorz Grzyb and Spanish José Maria López closed the top ten.

One wheel-drive category is led by Jari Huttunen, Finland, the second was Aleks Zawada from Poland (both on Opel Adam R2) and the third one is Filip Mareš from the Czech Republic (Peugeot 208 R2). One of the favourites ERC3 British Chris Ingram sadly had to retire because his Opel Adam R2 had gearbox failure. Total of 134 crews from 22 countries started out.

Results after SS1:
1. Kopecký, Dresler (CZE, Škoda Fabia R5) 7:03.0 min
2. Pech, Uhel (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5) + 4.1 s
3. Lukyanuk, Arnautov (RUS, Ford Fiesta R5) + 4.6 s
4. Kostka, Kučera (CZE, Škoda Fabia R5) + 5.0 s
5. Kajetanowicz, Baran (POL, Ford Fiesta R5) + 9.8 s
6. Kresta, Starý (CZE, Škoda Fabia R5) + 10.3 s
7. Valoušek, Havelková (CZE, Škoda Fabia R5) + 10.7 s
8. Černý, Černohorský (CZE, Škoda Fabia R5) + 10.8 s
9. Grzyb, Wróbel (POL, ŠKoda Fabia R5) + 11.1 s
10. Lopéz, Rozada (ESP, Peugeot 208 T16) +11.3 s

35. Huttunen, LInnaketo (FIN, Opel Adam R2), 1. 2WD + 40.3 s